Louise Bourgeois, Alex Van Gelder
dal 10/2/2011 al 13/5/2011
Segnalato da
10/2/2011
Louise Bourgeois, Alex Van Gelder
Hauser & Wirth - Hubertus Exhibitions, Zurich
Armed Forces. Gnarled, sinewy and wrinkled with age, Louise Bourgeois's hands were fascinating. Her hands are the subjects of portraits taken by the artist Alex Van Gelder, who, at Bourgeois's invitation, photographed her at her New York townhouse during the last year of her life. Through this series, she put forth her own physicality to be viewed as an element of her art, focusing on her hands as her tools.
Gnarled, sinewy and wrinkled with age, Louise Bourgeois's hands were fascinating. Her hands are the
subjects of portraits taken by the artist Alex Van Gelder, who, at Bourgeois's invitation, photographed her
at her New York townhouse during the last year of her life. The resulting portfolio of eighteen photographic
prints will be on display at Hauser & Wirth Zürich from 12 February.
More than purely a portrait project, Bourgeois
considered this collaboration to be an extension of
her work. Through this series, she put forth her own
physicality to be viewed as an element of her art,
focusing on her hands as her tools.
Clenched or cradling, her hands recall many of
her works, from the entwined finger-like forms
of 'Clutching' (1962), to the skein of lines of her
'Insomnia Drawings' and the poised spiders of her
'Maman' series. Van Gelder’s images are stark,
showing just the hands against the black fabric of her
clothes. They are flooded with intimacy and warmth,
reflecting his closeness to Bourgeois and the trust
she placed in him to work with her on this project.
The portfolio is printed in an edition of 10 and will
be shown both on the walls of the gallery and also
displayed in its original linen box. The exhibition is
accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, 'Alex
Van Gelder – Louise Bourgeois. ARMED FORCES',
published by Ediciones Polígrafa and Hauser & Wirth.
Louise Bourgeois (b. Paris 1911, d. New York
2010) is regarded as one of the greatest artists of
the twentieth century. In 1982 she became the first
female artist to have a retrospective at New York’s
Museum of Modern Art. A comprehensive survey of
her work was organised in 2007 by Tate Modern,
which travelled to Centre Pompidou, Paris, the
Guggenheim Museum, New York NY, Museum of
Contemporary Art, Los Angeles CA, and the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden in Washington DC. Recent solo
exhibitions include 'Louise Bourgeois: The Fabric Works', which travelled from Fondazione Emilio e Annabianca
Vedova, Venice to Hauser & Wirth London, Savile Row (2010). 'Do Not Abandon Me', an exhibition of sixteen
gouaches created during a two year collaboration between Louise Bourgeois and Tracey Emin, opens in February
2011 at Hauser & Wirth London, Old Bond Street. 'Louise Bourgeois: The Return of the Repressed', will open in
South America in 2011, opening at Fundación Proa, Buenos Aires, in March and travelling to Instituto Tomie Ohtake,
Sao Paulo, and Museu de Arte Moderna, Rio de Janeiro.
Alex Van Gelder is a Dutch artist who currently lives and works in Paris. He is an expert on West African photography
and edited the book 'Life and Afterlife in Benin' (Phaidon, 2005), which presented the work of photographers active
in Benin, West Africa both before and after independence in 1960. Since 2000, he has focused his attention on
photography and film and has featured in various exhibitions and catalogues. He worked closely with Louise Bourgeois
and Jerry Gorovoy from 2008 until Bourgeois's death in May 2010.
About Hauser & Wirth
Hauser & Wirth is an international gallery, founded in
Zurich in 1992 by Iwan and Manuela Wirth and Ursula
Hauser. In 1996 the Zurich gallery opened in the
former Löwenbräu brewery building, along with other
contemporary art galleries, the Kunsthalle Zürich, and the
Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst Zürich.
In 2003, Hauser & Wirth opened Hauser & Wirth London
on Piccadilly in an historic building designed by Sir
Edwin Lutyens, adding a new and energetic dimension
to London's growing importance as an international art
centre. Hauser & Wirth's outdoor sculpture programme,
inaugurated in September 2009, is located behind the
Piccadilly gallery in Southwood Garden, St James's
Church. In 2006, Hauser & Wirth at Colnaghi was created
on London's Old Bond Street. Hauser & Wirth New York
opened to the public on the Upper East Side of Manhattan
in September 2009. In September 2010, Hauser & Wirth
re-located their Zurich space to a new temporary location
at Hubertus Exhibitions while the Löwenbräu building
undergoes major renovation.
In October 2010 Hauser & Wirth opened its new gallery at
23 Savile Row. Offering 15,000 square feet of exhibition
space, the gallery provides an outstanding setting for
larger exhibitions and more expansive installations. In
addition, 7,000 square feet of the building's first floor will
be developed for an extensive library and archive and
new offices.
Image: Alex Van Gelder
Louise Bourgeois 2010
© Alex Van Gelder
Courtesy Hauser & Wirth
Opening Friday 11 February, 6 – 8 pm
Hauser & Wirth Zürich
Hubertus Exhibitions, Albisriederstrasse 199A
Gallery hours: Tuesday and Wednesday, 12 – 6 pm
Thursday, 12 – 8 pm, Friday, 12 – 6 pm
Saturday, 11 am – 5 pm